Prior art whip antennae for small vehicles, such as automobiles or small marine craft, typically are electrically connected to the vehicle, using the vehicle's metallic body as part of the radiating system. Such antennae have several disadvantages. These antennae cannot be used separate from a metallic vehicle or other structure capable of providing the requisite electrical counterpoise. Moreover, were the antenna to break, the vehicle would lose communication entirely. Finally, because the vehicle is part of the radiating system, the system as a whole has poor "seeing," i.e. elevation above the horizon.
An improvement over such prior art antennae is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,474,453 to the instant inventor, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. This patent shows two antenna portions 11, 15 connected by tuner 25, the tuner being a tank circuit trimmed by a variable capacitor. The electromagnetic parameters of the antenna system are selected so that, at desired transmission frequencies, each antenna portion and the tuner has an electrical length of one-quarter wavelength. The vehicle itself is electrically connected to the antenna, and is itself part of the antenna system, having an electrical length of one-quarter wavelength.